Gene in January, Day Two:Tomb Of Dracula #70, page 23 by Gene Colan and Tom
Palmerhttps://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1691863
In 2008, while scanning a couple hundred Gene Colan covers to offer for
inclusion in Marvel's "The Invincible Gene Colan" tribute/benefit book, I had a
great opportunity to revisit some comics I hadn't dug out in many years. Paging
through Tomb of Dracula #70 (the final issue), I stopped at the epilogue
sequence and read it again, for the first time in decades. I was struck by the
quality of writing... the characterization is really top notch. The marriage of
Gene Colan's expressive, cinematic art and Tom Palmer's confident, graceful
inking with Marv Wolfman's thoughtful, mature writing made Tomb Of Dracula a
great series.
I am very fond of the denouement sequence from the Tomb Of Dracula series. It's
an example of peak comics, with a long running creative team working together
to conclude a 70-issue epic in a satisfying and emotionally resonant way, in
the epilogue to the main story of destroying Dracula. It's the story of the
vampire hunters that really elevates Tomb Of Dracula to a classic series.
The coda section of Tomb Of Dracula #70 features three sequences, each an
example of exceptionally well crafted comics.
The epilogue with Rachel van Helsing and Frank Drake is six pages. I have the
first five and am seeking the last one. It is story page 28 (and page 37 as
printed in the comic).
Following is a three page sequence featuring Domini, the bride of Dracula and
their son Janus, who was possessed by a being called the Golden Angel. I "need"
the first and third of these pages.
There are pages on either side of this nine page segment that are equally
wonderful, of course. Quincy Harker confronting Dracula in his castle is an
amazing scene, as well. The whole book and series is pretty damn good!
Note that writer/editor Marv Wolfman asked that Rachel's single tear in panel
two be whited-out, to reflect her inability to connect with her emotions upon
discovering the death of her surrogate father, Quincy Harker. The whole
sequence is eloquently and poignantly portrayed by three creators working at an
exceptionally high level of craft.
I've also included a little grid in additional images that illustrates my
progress on this particular mini-quest.
Happy collecting in 2021, friends!Pax,Sean
